Ready to Get Real, RealTalk LA!

May 1. The big day has arrived. For what seems like a year now, a citywide buzz campaign has advised LA to get ready because, this May, LA would get real. I don’t know about you, but since I saw the first billboard, I’ve been getting ready to get real. But I have a confession: I couldn’t wait until May to get started getting real, so I did a little googling to get a sneak peak of the reality for which I was getting ready.

To start off, the founder’s mission statement has been out there for a little while on the (beta) realtalkLA.com. It contains their promising, ambitious premise:

…to unmask an LA most of us don’t know about and to do so for an audience whose needs are largely neglected by existing media

I’m all all about unmasking an L.A. most of us don’t know. Some more then:

Our LA society and region have evolved into an extraordinarily dynamic creature that is under the radar of traditional media. The region is multileveled, intricately subcultured and infinitely textured. It extends far beyond the grasp of marketers and social analysts—and yes, it is more complex and diverse than even poets and novelists have captured.

I’ve been telling this to Ron for awhile now, but he won’t buy it: Our region is multileveled, intricated subcultured and infinitely textured. Maybe now you’ll believe me. I’m right there with you, RealTalk LA. Go on:

The most obvious element of the many-textured unmasked LA is its ethnic diversity. As LA’s Latino Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is fond of pointing out, LA is home to 70 ethnic groups for which the metropolitan area is the second-largest collection of their fellow natives outside their home nation … RealTalk LA is also going to provide a tremendous range of information about what is being manifested in underreported sectors of LA.

Yes! Say no more. I’m on board.

Encouraged, I kept on googling and turned up the press release. I guess the website mission statement didn’t have room for everything:

RealTALK LA and Realtalkla.com are targeting Los Angeles’ affluent, college-educated, trend-setting residents, including men and women, aged 25 to 49, of all cultural backgrounds, including those of Hispanic, Asian, African American, European and Middle Eastern descent.

So far all this is sounding great for me because I’m affluent, college-edumacated, trend-setting and–get this–aged 25 to 49. But I prefer “Latino” over “Hispanic.” Funny little thing I noticed: “Latino” is used in the website mission statement but “Hispanic” is exclusively used in the press release.

A bit more from the PR then:

The non-European demographic alone comprises 700,000 households and 1.2 million adults in Los Angeles County with household incomes above $75,000 and averaging $105,000.

Sounds about right to me. I mean, who doesn’t make at least $75K? Some more:

Our awareness campaign for RealTALK LA and Realtalkla.com will be aggressive and tactical with a presence at more than 200 promotional events and marketing opportunities, including lifestyle events, that we believe will give advertisers unparalleled access to a loyal, targeted audience of new culture trend leaders,” said Levin. “We want to provide advertisers with added-value by tying directly into the pulse of the communities that define the city

Talk about a prophecy. How did the they know that I am a loyal target cultural trend leader?! I now see what I was getting ready for: To attend promotional events, embrace marketing opportunities and give advertisers unparalleled access.

And so, RealTALK LA, I am ready! Let us unmask L.A. together! RealTALK LA advertisers to you, too, I say I am ready! Line me up in your demographic sights and target me!